Check



Dec. 8, 1925. 1,564,296

c. G. TIEFEL H CHECK Filed March 25, 1920 ;P Bank No.

RochestergNy,

Payto the order of I :ZHREEf/UNDREpHFTEMflUU/WsTWEVTVSfVENFf/VTa I N V EN TOR.

CHARLES G- T/EFEL BY ATTORNEY Patented Bee. 8, 1925.

UNETED @TATES CHARLES G. TIEFEL, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO THE TODD COMPANY,

rseaaa INC., OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

CHECK.

Application filed March 25, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that Crmnnns Gr. Tinren, a citizen of the United States, residing at 1328 Culver Road, Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Checks, of which the following is a specification.

One object of the invention is to provide a check on which the amount or value is permanently printed in words in such a way that while there need be substantially no spacing between the words the eye can readily take them in as units. If such checks are printed in words according to the prior art with no spacing between the words the reader is compelled to analyze the imprint 21 letter ata time to determine its meaning.

Another object is to provide a check on which the amount or value is permanently printed in words with the letters composing each word so formed and relatively spaced that to erase the imprint of one word and substitute therefor a word involving the use of a different number of letters will require both a different spacing between the letters and the use of letters differing in heightfrom those in the original imprint. This makes it extremely diiiicult to alter such an instrument without detection, owing to the fact that the traces of such an erasure will be so noticeable. The protection in this re spect is increased to a maximum extent if the fibre of the paper on which the imprint is made is softened or is disrupted or loosened in a well known manner prior to or at the t me of making the original imprint so that the ink is thoroughly incorporated with the paper.

In the preferred embodiment, the object stated in the immediately foregoing paragraph is accomplished by making all of the words the same in length regardless of the number of letters in each word and having the letters in the word uniformly graduated in height from one end of the word to the other. Th s incidentally makes it possible to accomplish another object and that is to make the imprint cover a maximum part of the surface assigned for each word without interfering with the readability of the inscription. As will be clear later, there may be a variation in the relative lengths of the words without greatly affecting the protec- Serial No. 368,503.

tion, if the other features of the invention adding a letter to a word, while at the same 7 time rendering the printed amount easily readable. The most complete protection from changes would be afforded by printing the amount in words composed of letters all of the same height, without any spacing between the words, but it would require a great deal of time to distinguish the separate words of an amount printed in that way. This difiiculty might be partially offset making the first letter of each word higher than the others and having the rest of the letters all of the same height. It would still be necessary, however, to spend considerable time in reading an amount so printed if there was no spacing between the words, as the eye cannot readily take in words units when they are so printed. Another difficulty is that if the amounts were printed in that way, the space to the right of the taller letter and above the shorter letters would not be even partially printed upon and this in connection with the fact that the shorter letters are all of the same height would make alterations easier to effect.

This invention in its preferred form pro vides a check in which all of the words in an amount inscription are on the same base line with the letters in each word gradually decreasing in height in one direction preferably from left to right. By referring to the drawing it will be seen that the advantages from a protective standpoint of doing away with word spacing may be secured without sacrificing the readability of the line. I

other words, while an amount so printed can be read just as quickly as though it was printed in words spaced apart in the usual manner, the printing is not left open for is not absolutely essential.

alteration by filling in the spaces between words with letters or parts of letters in order to give the printed instrument a greater value than it was originally intended to have.

Referring again to the specimen check in the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that the words printed thereon to represent the amount are all or the same length. This As hereinbefore stated, the amount may be printed on instrun'ients in words varying relatively in length and still be within the scope of the invention. 3y having the words all of the same length, however, the spaces to be occupied by many of the words may be increased out of proportion to the number of letters composing them. As a result, the chances for detecting an attempted erasure or alteration are considerably greater. It is apparent that the larger the characters the harder it is to erase them without leaving traces.

On the illustrative check, all. of the words of the amount are printed on the same base line and the first of the letters of each of the words are all the same in height. The last letter of each word is shorter than the first and the intermediate letters are graduated in height from left to right so that the tops of the letters composing a word all touch an imaginary line preferably extending at an acute angle A. to the base line. By this construction, the separate words of the amount may be printed substantially without spacing between them, but at the same time the entire amount can be read as quickly as though printed in ordinary type with the usual spacing between words.

The check shown in the drawing has the first letter of each word about twice the height of the last letter in the word, but the diil'erence need not be so grea All that is 'eccssary is to have the difference suiiicient to set off the words as units. The higher the last letters are, with rei'ercnce to the first, the greater the protection, owing to the fact that the imprint will cover a correspondingly greater proportion of the surface as signed to receive the amount.

in addition to the foregoing, protection is altorded in another way by the graduated letters and equal len ths of the words. For

example, one raise otten attempted by check raisers is to change the word EIGI T ee -rants to ETGHTY. If the check is protected according to this invention and the word EIGHT is erased and an attempt is made to print in the word EIGHTY the I, G, H, and T in EIGHTY will each differ in height from the corresponding letters originally employed in printing the word EIGHT. Not only that, but the spacing between letters must be changed so that even it considerable skill is exercised, the paper will show unmistakably where the ink used in making the first imprint has been removed.

While the embodiment of the invention herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is not the desire to be limited to the 7 one form, inasmuch as the invention is capable of various modifications and changes all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

hat is claimed is:

l. A check having the amount printed thereon in words, the letters of each word being spaced apart and formed to make all of the words the same in length regardless of the number of letters in the various words and the letters of each word graduated in height from one end of the word to the other to make the separate words or" the amount easily distinguishable.

2. A check having the amount printed thereon in words arranged in a line without more space between the words than between the letters of the words, the letters of each word being-spaced apart and formed to make all of the words the same in length regardless of the number of letters in the various words, and having the letters of each word graduated in height from one end to the other to bring letters of diflierent sizes into juxtaposition at the word ends and make the separate words of the amount easily distinguishable.

3. A check having the amount printed thereon in words with the letters of the words in a continuous line and without more space between the words than between the letters of the various words, the letters of each word being graduated in height from one end of the word to the other.

In testimony whereof I attix my signature.

CHARLES G. TIEFEL. 

